Maxim

Keep it simple.

“But simple views, and courses plain and true Would selfish ends and many lusts eschew.”

— Laozi, Tao Te Ching, ch. 19, tr. James Legge (Legge's verse rendering) · source Verified
Taoism · Ancient (before 200 BCE)
Translation: public-domain translation (James Legge)

Watch on YouTube: The School of Life: Lao Tzu ↗The School of Life introduces Lao Tzu

Complexity is costly and fragile. The simplest design that works is usually the one that lasts.

Related expressions

“Keep it simple, stupid.”
— Kelly Johnson (reported), Reportedly coined at Lockheed Skunk Works; attribution per Wikipedia
Management & engineeringContemporary (1950 – today)relation: expressesProbablesource
“Our life is frittered away by detail. … Simplify, simplify.”
— Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854), ch. 2
Watch on YouTube: The Minimalists: A rich life with less stuff ↗The Minimalists discuss this idea
TranscendentalismModern (1800 – 1950)relation: expressesVerifiedsource
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
— Unknown (often misattributed to Leonardo da Vinci), Popular attribution to Leonardo; Quote Investigator finds no evidence he said it (earliest Leonardo attribution c. 2000). Closest early match: Clare Boothe Luce, Stuffed Shirts (1931): "the height of sophistication is simplicity."
Popular philosophyModern (1800 – 1950)relation: expressesMisattributedsource

Score

Moral Rank 45.1 · Evidence E = 10.10

E = ln(1+1.62) + √1.62 + 3·1.62 + 1.5·2 = 10.10

How this is scored

Further reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle